Enchanted High Book I

Two.

That was how many sandwiches stared at June when she opened the lunchbox. She and James had eaten half of their share last night, falling off to sleep only quarterly satisfied. And this morning she was awoke by the sound of her stomach growling, reminding her that Audrey used to treat it better. She gulped down half the contents if the water, filling in the empty spaces. She had to save her sandwich, even if it had to be bite by bite, for afternoon, or night, or better, the next day.

She crouched down to the trickle of water and re-filled the bottle manually. After placing it back into the backpack, she swung the bag across her shoulders and looked up at the dense clutter of tree leaves. In between the green, she could see James’s shirt, up on the highest branch, perched casually like he did this every day. He was looking for the safest path for them to take; to avoid another encounter with quicksand or even some nasty jungle creature. The sky above them was covered in clouds, letting light drops of rain fall onto them.

James began climbing back down with ease, swiftly placing his weight at the perfect spot every time. When he jumped to the ground and looked at her, she realized how hungry he looked. She also realized, that if he had asked her for her sandwich, she would hand it to him without thinking twice. She wondered where the thought came from.

‘Alright,’ said James, dusting his hands. ‘I think we found our way. We’ll walk in that direction –’ he pointed to an opening in the trees – ‘further down we can take a break if we get tired. There’s another river there, so we can also fill the bottle if necessary.’

June grinned at him. ‘Thank you for that, professor.’

He chuckled. ‘Anytime.’ He paused and eyed June with a wary eye. ‘You sure you don’t want me to carry the bag?’

‘Sure.’ She liked the feeling of having the bag on her back; it made her feel more in charge than helpless.

They began walking, but as soon as June took a step; her stomach growled, craving for food. She coughed to cover the sound.

‘June?’ Too late. James looked at her. ‘Was that your stomach? Are you hungry?’

She blinked. She was about to reply when again, a grumbling sound filled the air.

James shook his head. ‘You know we’re not out of food, right? You have your sandwich, plus you can have mine, I’m giving it to you. There are plenty of fruit trees in this jungle. I can always look for the fruits, hunt even. I have a way with nature you know.’

June was speechless. ‘I –’

‘Here –’ before another word escaped her mouth, he had unzipped the backpack on her shoulder and handed her the lunchbox. The sight of lettuce and fresh bread made her insides clench longingly.

He zipped the bag closed and walked ahead of her, murmuring in her ear at the last second: ′Eat.′

They walked through the forest, easier this time, June taking small bites from her last sandwich as James led, moving aside leaves and stopping here and there to view something that fascinated him. When she had finished eating, she told herself that she wouldn’t take his sandwich no matter how much he insisted that he could hunt. Particularly because she felt that Gentle James couldn’t kill an animal.

They sky became darker as night drew close; the moon hovered among the clouds, bright and silver. The air remained damp and cold. But fresh, clean.

Finally, they had reached the river that James had spotted previously; he looked exhausted. June herself felt her energy drained, her stomach demanding for more food. James sat on the sand beside the riverbank, sprinkling his muddy hands with water.

June gazed around; unseen birds chirped and tweeted musically. A long flash of lightning spiraled in the sky. She slumped the bag onto the floor, about to unfold the tent, when she noticed it. At first she thought they were fruits; specifically mangoes. But which mango looked more like an overlarge berry and had deep red swirls that seemed to pulse?

‘Wow,’ James breathed from beside her, ‘looks like you found food.’

‘Food?’

He chose a steady tree that bore the fruit and mounted himself onto its branches. Without hesitation, June began to climb another of the trees as well.

She placed her foot onto a firm branch and hoisted herself up. The bark felt rough under her palms. ‘They’re fruits?’ she called across to him.

He nodded. ‘They’re called Rainberries,’ he said. ‘Indigenous to this island. I haven’t tasted one before, but there’s a first time for everything.’

He had reached the top where a bunch of the Rainberries grew. Reaching out, he plucked one away, a round and juicy one.

Not too far away from her, June had spotted a bunch and grabbed for the whole thing. The branch it hung from snapped off; a few of the berries hurtled to the ground, but she had managed to catch a handful.

It had deep red swirling lines all across its surface; she was unsure whether it was the peel. She was hesitant to take a bite, but, watching at how James gobbled one down, she decided to try it. The moment her teeth broke its surface, sweet, sticky juice poured out of it, filling her mouth with its flavor. It tasted so beautiful that she swooned over it, gulping the thing down with big bites, until everything was going down her esophagus, and her fingers were sticky with juice. She plucked another and started on it.

‘June.’

June licked the juice off her fingers. ‘Hmm?’

‘Look.’

He sounded serious. Hastily, she shuffled aside leaves to look in the direction that he stared. Her eyes met the sight of a house; wooden, with huge windows and a dried leaf roof. She wondered if the juice had any side effects to make her hallucinate.

The paddle was half submerged on either side of her; the sun was merciless, each ray only drained her energy, but also ignited a bonfire that burned her determination to get to the island.

She could see the shores; its sand completely wet, its mashup of wild vegetation dripping with rain. But along with the land, she also spotted something unusual. Above the island, was a massive rain cloud, pouring water onto it like a hose pipe. It was unusual because not a single drop fell on Nicole, even though she was paces away from the shore. The cloud circled around the island only. This phenomenon, she realized, must mean that she was still in Comikaycrest, and the watch had not sent her off to the human world.

She reached the beach, dragging the boat onto the island before it was carried away with the waves. The sound of the water crashing joined with the sound of heavy rain that smacked her skin filled her ears. Once it was away from the sea, she dropped to the ground, her wet hair became dotted with sea sand. She breathed heavily, relieved.

But this didn’t mean that she wasn’t lost.

It was that thought that made her get to her feet again. She looked from the blue ocean around her, to the bare wooden boat, to the rain clouds above and then to the dense forest that awaited her. She was reluctant to journey into it; but what could she possibly do on the beach? She realized that the question was already answered; nothing.

Inhaling deeply, she wrapped her hair into itself and, leaving the boat behind, she walked into the forest. She was swallowed into the island.

We have a Rainberry tree in the greenhouse.

Where’d the greenhouse come from? You ask. I thought you said you live in the middle of the ocean, in a house supported by three scrawny sticks.

Allow me to explain. See, from the outside, the house is very shabby, and small. It’s a boring old regular treehouse. But inside, oh, we have a large library, and a ship in the roof - there’s my boss’s room, and my small room above hers, and a greenhouse, and much more. It is quite a lovely place, now that I think of it. We planted a lot of things - magical and non - in the greenhouse, and that’s usually where we get our food from. My boss would refuse to hunt, even though there are plenty animals in the nearby forest.

Love from all the fur on my back,

--THUG.